A software-defined network SDN (software-defined network) system is a new network architecture in which control is separated from management. Key components of the SDN system include an OpenFlow OpenFlow switch and a control device. Message exchange and information transfer between the control device and the OpenFlow switch are completed by using a control channel according to the OpenFlow protocol specification. On the switch device, a data forwarding layer is separated from a control layer, and underlying hardware is virtualized, that is, data is forwarded on the OpenFlow switch, and data forwarding is controlled on the control device. The control device implements management and control functions by using a network-wide view, and generates a forwarding flow table for the OpenFlow switch. The OpenFlow switch forwards a data packet according to the forwarding flow table.
However, in a network environment in which multiple load-sharing paths are configured, when a next hop of any one of the multiple load-sharing paths fails, a conventional SDN network based on the OpenFlow protocol does not support an operation of performing fast rerouting on the failed load-sharing path.